The beets alone would have us hooked. Serving up three
squares a day at the helm of Executive Chef Ben Hutchison, Green
House Market is a terrific new healthy gourmet dining option in
NorthPark Center. Originally iterated as Green House Truck, a
food truck launched in 2009, the concept is created by the brain
trust of Michael Siegel.

Though fans miss the food truck, Siegel tells us, “We wanted toexpand the menu and to make it available to a larger audience everyday of the week, all day long. We looked to NorthPark for all theobvious reasons—but specifically to us as a food truck, we saw thefoot traffic. It’s the holy grail of food trucks.”The restaurant includes an art program curated by Siegel’s wifeRobyn, an art advisor. Local and internationally known artists willbe displayed on a rotating and permanent basis. Of particular noteare the works by Sean Kennedy and Jason Meadows. “Their worksare a part of a larger collection where some artworks are moreobvious and visible, while others are meant to be special surprises,”Robyn explains. Kennedy’s piece features pots, pans, and kitchenutensils atop a clear acrylic glass pane that hangs overhead like achandelier. “I like that as you approach Sean’s work, you see it likeyou would a Koons vacuum—the readymade from our everydayculture contextualized for its function. Yet once underneath theframe, you experience the objects for their form, and they worklike a two-dimensional photogram.” Located above the communaltable, with its cooking materials it’s a great conversation starter, anda “perfect acquisition for Green House Market.”Along with the art, the restaurant boasts 10-13 ft. ceilingswith vista views of NorthPark’s Center Court. The minimalistenvironment, designed by Buchanan Architecture, plays beautifullyto Meadows’s lighting at the entrance. “With Jason, we begandiscussing a commissioned lighting package. The conversationevolved into a site-specific sculptural installation, intended as alight-modulating, suspended cloud formation. Meadows translatedthe architecture and intended purpose in the space into his ownartistic language. He created individual hand-bent, powder-coated aluminum modules that he combined in clusters to createsomething that is completely mesmerizing and experiential. I situnder this artwork and have coffee or a conversation. It’s a sweetspot in Green House Market.”Siegel plans to open additional locations. “We want clean,affordable food to be readily available,” he says. “Until we haveother outposts, we continue to offer office and private catering.”Like a food truck the restaurant features counter service with anarray of offerings. And for diners healthy can mean delicious. ForChef Hutchison, he couldn’t be more pleased. “As art enriches thesoul healthy food enriches the body.”—Terri Provencal

EAT YOURART OUT

Stephan Pyles is no stranger to art. A collector himself, it was no surprise when he pioneered the underserved fine dining market in the
Dallas Arts District opening his eponymous restaurant nine years ago. “I have often been called a culinary pioneer so when it came time to
re-enter the restaurant scene in 2005, I looked for the area of town where I saw the greatest future potential. The Arts District has become
everything I envisioned and more. By next year, I will have 3 restaurants in the Arts District as well as one in Uptown, which I helped pioneer
30 years ago,” Chef Pyles tells us. In May, the multi-restaurateur, cookbook author, and James Beard-winning chef opened San Salvaje in
the previous Samar space with a casual, dynamic restaurant inspired by the cuisines and cultures of Mexico, Central & South America, the
Caribbean and Cuba. In addition to a handsome dining room with views of the Arts District, the restaurant also has an exhibition kitchen with
counter seating.

Sharon Leeber, president of Architectural Arts worked with Chef Pyles on the collection for the new restaurant comprised mostly of
artworks by English-born sculptor William Cannings, who is a professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Cannings explores the nature
of compressed air on aluminum and steel. The paintings seen in the restaurant are by Ruben Nieto. Born in Veracruz, Nieto is inspired by
American comic books he grew up with punctuating his Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art style. Both artists are represented by Cris Worley
Fine Arts in the Design District. “I have always referred to my restaurants as being ‘experiential.’ The dining experience should stimulate all
the senses, not just the palate. Just as I have always supported local farmers and winemakers, I have tried to showcase superior local artists as
well,” informs the much lauded chef.—P